Lady Gaga, Queen of the Universe

Lady Gaga is being sued by her former assistant Jennifer O’Neill for almost $400K for overtime pay. Transcripts from a sworn deposition given in August were evidently obtained by the NY Post and some of Gaga’s comments are...explosive. It would certainly be more fair to read the deposition as it occurred, instead of the way it’s presented here, clearly as the most offensive parts have been pulled out to generate a story, so as to properly understand the exact context. Because when you consume it in this form, how the NY Post has laid it out, Gaga doesn’t look so great. This is a mega, mega understatement.

Of O’Neill’s claims, Gaga rages:“(She’s a) f--king hood rat who is suing me for money that she didn’t earn. She’s just — she thinks she’s just like the queen of the universe. And, you know what, she didn’t want to be a slave to one, because in my work and what I do, I’m the queen of the universe every day.”

I’m uncomfortable reading this in words in black and white. Can you imagine hearing it? Can you imagine being in the room? This is a proper legal proceeding! This is on record! This is not in the back of the car! This is not a secret recording! (That doesn’t make the spirit of some of these statements any less harsh but it speaks to candour, or lack of it.) This is with lawyers present and taking notes, official documentation!

It’s a classic case of she said-she said. O’Neill says that Gaga is a bitch ass of a boss, and unfair, and borderline abusive, and, on top of that, cheap. Gaga says that O’Neill is an opportunist and took advantage of her privileges and, also, was lazy because she was sh-t at laying out her clothes. Again, in the business of snark, automatically we are inclined to argue in favour of the non-celebrity over the celebrity, especially how the NY Post has chosen to release this information. It could very well be though that Gaga has a point, that O’Neill really is trying to take advantage of her and exploit the Queen of the Universe. But, goddamn, the way she’s communicating her case... Jesus, this is not the way. This is not convincing me that she treats her employees with a “bubbly, good heart”, which is how she describes herself...for real.

I get it that you want to defend yourself. I get it that when you think someone is lying about you that you should have a right to aggressively charge back. But if that aggression undermines what you perceive to be your point... maybe reconsider the aggression, non? If you ‘re trying to convince people that you’re not a c-nt who withholds pay and bullies her staff, maybe refrain from calling them a “f-cking hood rat”?

But that’s your classic celebrity entitlement, right? As much she claims to be the kind leader of her Little Monsters, Gaga is a celebrity, and therefore, in her own mind, is special. And beyond reproach. And of course has the RIGHT.

The right not to pay overtime? This is where, context or not, even if you could read the transcript in its entirety, it’s hard to side with her on the issue. Gaga expects her people to be available to her at all times, any time. And she confirms that she does not compensate them financially for extra hours. Instead, the compensation comes in the form of lifestyle and life experience -- seeing the world on tour, fancy hotels, meeting other really cool people, like Terry Richardson, for f-ck’s sake:

“(O’Neill) knew exactly what she was getting into, and she knew there was no overtime, and I never paid her overtime the first time I hired her, so why would she be paid overtime the second time? This whole case is bulls--t, and you know it. I’m quite wonderful to everybody that works for me, and I am completely aghast to what a disgusting human being that you have become to sue me like this. Because she slept in Egyptian cotton sheets every night, in five-star hotels, on private planes, eating caviar, partying with [photographer] Terry Richardson all night, wearing my clothes, asking YSL [Yves Saint Laurent] to send her free shoes without my permission, using my YSL discount without my permission.”

GROSS, right?

GROSS.

And it’s worse when you read all of it. Click here for more. Now I can see why she’s friends with Lindsay Lohan.